


servants and swords

by daisy_chains



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Pendragon Is King, Banter, Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 23:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisy_chains/pseuds/daisy_chains
Summary: “‘We’ll cut through the Valley of Fallen Kings,’ you said. ‘We’ll be fine,’ you said. ‘Don’t be such a girl,’ you said.”"Shut up, Merlin."





	servants and swords

“‘We’ll cut through the Valley of Fallen Kings,’ you said. ‘We’ll be fine,’ you said. ‘Don’t be such a girl,’ you said.” Merlin ignores the elbows that strikes his ribs, unwilling to allow his focus on the bandits surrounding them waver for even a second.

“Shut up, Merlin,” the king growls. For a moment, the servant debates whether or not to do as told but, well, he’s never followed orders before and he doesn’t see why he should start now.

“‘Don’t know why you’re bothering with a sword,’ you said, ‘you don’t know how to use it.’ Well, would you like to put that to the test, _Sire_?” Against his back, Merlin feels Arthur tense, then calmly shift into a stance more suitable for battle. A hand brushes Merlin’s arm, hovering just a hair’s breadth away, then taps his arm. He understands the silent message. Another tap follows, then another. At the third tap, both men draw their swords and meet the bandits head on, fighting back to back. 

“When did you become passable with a sword?” Arthur asks as he watches his servant fell the last bandit. Merlin whirls around with a grin and doesn’t hesitate to take a jab at Arthur’s ego as he always has.

“Sometime between the third time we got captured on a patrol and the time you got yourself knocked out and left me to fight a group of heavily armed men on my own,” he says, then pauses with a mockingly thoughtful look. “Though that’s happened so many times I’m not sure which I’m talking about.” 

“Merlin,” Arthur says, a note of warning in his voice. The servant watches him innocently, head cocked to the side as if saying, ‘ _what? I haven’t done anything_.’ Arthur rolls his eyes as he hits Merlin over the back of his head, then, “shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> could not for the life of me come up with a good name for this


End file.
